I Became a Righteous Knight in a Game

Chapter 101

The desire for survival was an instinct everyone possessed.

Running away in the face of death was a natural choice, and for a human to run until they were out of breath when fleeing was also natural behavior.

“Gasp, haah.”

The warlock Tenance was running at the fastest speed he ever had in his life.

His personality made him dislike moving, and the profession he had unintentionally chosen was one that rarely required an all-out sprint.

‘I should have built up my stamina. If not that, I should have at least been more prepared. I shouldn't have been so arrogant! What a fool!’

Tenance resented himself.

The price of his arrogance was surely closing in on him.

The magical beast he had painstakingly tamed had fallen.

Despite its ferocity, it had been felled by a mere couple of sword slashes.

Tenance had witnessed the process clearly through the beast’s eyes.

There was a flash of something, and its foreleg went flying; the next time he saw a flash, the wolf collapsed, and the connection was severed.

Knight Reinhardt had been staring intently into the wolf’s eyes.

As if he knew who was on the other side.

“Help me. Please help me. Oh, Agrios, your son is suffering so! I am still of great use! I will not disappoint you!”

Tenance stopped running and cried out desperately.

Agrios.

He prayed to the demon he served. He was a priest of Agrios, and a god had a duty to protect his followers.

But no answer came back.

No surge of abundant magical energy filled him, no tamable magical beast appeared, and no human was in sight whose mind he could seize.

“Ah…”

This place was a wasteland.

A place between Lockfort and Serigel that no one would have a reason to approach unless they had a specific purpose.

The surrounding view was wide open, a place where one could spot another’s presence even from a great distance.

Tenance started running again.

He scanned his surroundings with anxious eyes and felt a sense of relief that no one was yet in sight.

Then, when anxiety surged again, he couldn't overcome his fear and would look around.

‘I just need to get out of here.’

Once he was out of the wilderness, he would be able to find a solution.

It was just a pity that he couldn't hide in a city.

The cities around here, in the eastern part of the Empire, did not permit the approach of warlocks.

In that case, he would have to steal a carriage or a horse. He would hide by a nearby road and ambush a passing traveler.

If he could just do that…

WHACK-!

Tenance’s thoughts were cut off. With an impact to the back of his head, he fell wretchedly forward.

“…Huh?”

The pain came a moment later. Understanding the situation was the moment after that.

He was dizzy, perhaps from hitting his head too hard on the ground.

His vision swam. A trickle of blood ran from his head.

“What in the world…”

But there was nothing around him.

He had definitely been hit, but he couldn't tell what had hit him.

And then.

“Ugh! Ack! Oof! Ugh!”

Something began to beat Tenance mercilessly.

The pain was so intense that tears streamed down his face.

The warlocks of Agrios had no immunity to pain.

They rarely showed themselves in the light, and even if they did, they would always surround themselves with people who could protect them.

“S-stop! I said stop!”

Tenance waved his hands wildly, not even thinking of using black magic.

Black magic was, after all, still magic.

To use it properly, one needed the conditions to focus their mind.

The pain itself was distracting Tenance.

It might have been different for someone with extraordinary mental fortitude, but for him, feeble resistance was the best he could do.

How long was he beaten like that?

Just as his mind was starting to grow faint, he sensed a presence.

“Bitdori. Stop.”

A man with a familiar face approached.

The merciless violence stopped, but Tenance’s face grew even paler.

He was better off when he was being beaten senselessly.

Better than facing death right before his eyes like this.

“S-save me!”

“I will. I can’t let our plan get derailed in a place like this.”

“…What?”

Tenance doubted his own ears.

Words that should not have been spoken were being said.

The man before him was Knight Reinhardt.

A man who had already executed several warlocks and was famous for being righteous.

“W-who are you? Are you not Knight Reinhardt?”

“I am. Haven’t you been informed yet?”

“What are you talking about…”

Tenance stammered in confusion.

Hadn’t been informed?

Could it be that he was an ally? That the Knight Reinhardt before him was actually a spy planted by the demon’s side?

Gulp.

Tenance swallowed dryly.

If that was the case, then death had taken a step back.

‘But why?’

While it was a relief, it was still hard to understand.

Then why had Agrios given such an order?

“It seems you haven’t been informed. Are you a low-ranking member? How long has it been since your initiation?”

“…Initiation? Did you just say initiation?”

His voice trembled as he asked back.

Initiation.

This was an expression used only by those who knew the internal affairs.

To the outside world, they were warlocks, but they called themselves priests of the Dark Order.

“Just answer the question.”

“Two years.”

“Short. A disposable pawn, then.”

“Disposable pawn! What do you mean!”

“Consider yourself lucky. If it had been someone else, you would be dead. I’ll ask you, what orders were you given?”

“That is…”

“If you won’t answer, I’ll have to proceed as planned.”

“He told me to attack the Taton training ground! To tame a magical beast, as strong as possible!”

Tenance ended up confessing meekly.

He would die if he didn't cooperate anyway.

In that case, it was better to bet on the knight before him being an ally.

“The reason for the attack?”

“I don’t know.”

“The person who gave you the order?”

“It was the Archbishop.”

“Archbishop? You mean Rosmein?”

“Rosmein? No. Archbishop Ritney said he received an oracle…”

“I see. Are there other priests nearby?”

“Priests do not even know each other’s names. You know that as well.”

“I know it well. But you should be able to figure out if you have comrades performing the mission with you, no?”

Tenance furrowed his brow and tilted his head.

“What do you mean?”

It was the first time he had heard such a thing.

Low-ranking members like Tenance operated strictly in a cell-like structure.

Whether there were comrades nearby.

What his comrades’ names were.

What the purpose of this mission was, and what dangers it entailed.

He was deployed on missions as a single component, knowing nothing.

“The only thing we know is who ordered the mission.”

“Is that so? The rules must not have been revised yet. Good work.”

SLICE.

For a moment, Tenance thought he couldn't breathe. His vision spun, and then it went dark.

That was Tenance’s last memory.

***

[You have executed a warlock.]

*[Justice]’s effect has been enhanced.

*Stat increase per stack +4

In front of the fallen Tenance, Reinhardt scratched his head.

“It seems they set up a trap of sorts. They tried to lure me outside of Serigel. In that case… what’s wrong? Huh? Bitdori?”

“Piiit! Pii!”

Reinhardt stared at Bitdori with a dumbfounded look.

The creature was so angry that its eyes were welling up with tears as it beat Reinhardt repeatedly.

Of course, there was no damage at all.

He could barely feel it, like being tapped with a cotton hammer.

“Ah, you misunderstood. Did you think I was on the same side as that guy?”

“Piit?”

“Of course it was a lie. I made it up to get information. That’s why that guy spilled everything so easily, right?”

“Pit.”

“A knight should naturally be able to do this much. You can’t expect to hear secrets just by pushing forward recklessly. If he cooperated with me, the pain he’d receive in hell would only grow. Right?”

“Pi, pit…”

“Of course, I’m sure you, Bitdori, fully anticipated this.”

“Pii.”

Stealthily.

Bitdori released its grip on Reinhardt’s collar.

Then it awkwardly averted its gaze. It was like watching a puppy avoid its owner after causing trouble.

“Bitdori was acting too, right? Right? You were just playing along on purpose.”

“Pit, pii!”

“That’s our Bitdori. Well done.”

Now, Bitdori glanced around and then puffed out its chest completely.

For some reason, it seemed to feel proud.

‘Just like a kid.’

But the difference between it and a young child was that Bitdori could beat a warlock to a pulp.

Not only that, but it also had the ability to survey the entire surrounding area at once.

“Well then, Bitdori, there’s something else I need you to do.”

“Pit.”

The creature seemed to be in a good mood, acting as if it would do anything asked of it.

“First, let’s scout the area. See if there are more guys like that one. Or any more of those wolf-like creatures we saw earlier.”

“Piiiiiit!”

Bitdori shot up into the sky.

It was clear that this situation was a trap.

They had attacked the training ground to lure Reinhardt out of the city.

‘Then there are two likely objectives. Either they attack me directly, or they attack Serigel, which is now an empty house.’

And either way, Reinhardt’s stance was that it didn’t matter.

‘A trap has to be trap-like for me to be scared.’

If they had targeted Dirk instead, Reinhardt would have been tense.

That would have meant the demons were targeting Irien for corruption.

But this way.

Reinhardt returned to the training ground where Ethan was staying.

A considerable number of people were busy moving about, dealing with the aftermath.

They were treating the injured and distributing supplies.

The atmosphere was gradually returning to a state of stability.

“Commander.”

Reinhardt found Ethan and relayed the situation.

“I have dealt with the warlock. As expected, he was a warlock who served Agrios. His orders were to attack the training ground, and he had no other information.”

“…Sometimes when I talk with you, Sir Reinhardt, even such incredible feats feel like nothing special.”

Ethan said with a laugh, finding the situation absurd.

It was because Reinhardt treated catching warlocks like catching neighborhood thugs.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“It was what had to be done.”

“I knew you’d say that. But, Sir Reinhardt, what do they gain by attacking the training ground?”

“It seems they were trying to lure me outside the city.”

“…Was it a trap?”

“Yes.”

“But you seem relaxed.”

“Whether they target the city or me, they will not achieve their goal.”

Ethan clapped his hands as if he had a great realization.

“You’re right. What fools they are.”

He, too, felt no sense of crisis.

It was just as Reinhardt had said.

“Ah, Dirk has woken up. He should be waiting for you.”

“How is his condition?”

“He’s fine. He was joking around, saying that after achieving such a great merit, shouldn’t he already be a knight? I told him to ask you. The decision is yours to make.”

“Thank you.”

Reinhardt gave a short nod and headed for the tent where the injured were laid.

Dirk’s tent was in the innermost part.

Seeing him lying comfortably alone, it seemed he was receiving special treatment.

‘He deserves it. He risked his own life for his comrades.’

Was that not truly knightly conduct?

Dirk was more than deserving of such treatment.

Reinhardt entered the tent.

Dirk, who was sitting up, leaning against his sickbed, greeted him with a wide grin.

“Sir Knight, you’ve come?”